Discuss this half-orc fix

[Kafana]

I have a player who wants to play the half-orc and even though she doesn't mind I don't want her to play a clearly broken race. I've seen a lot of fixes, and the one that appeals to me the most is http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showthread.php?225027-Half-Orc-Fix-%283-5-PEACH%29

While it doesn't give anything too interesting (like Battle trance, which I saw in another fix) it is straightforward. My only question is, is it balanced? Ideally, I'd want to have this fall somewhere in the middle - lower than dwarf and human, but it's ok if it's higher than the rest.

[hymer]

I have a player who wants to play the half-orc and even though she doesn't mind I don't want her to play a clearly broken race.

Clearly broken? I'd agree that half-orcs are slightly unbalanced, but broken means something doesn't work. Half-orcs work just fine. Give them a two-handed weapon each and power attack and they're set.
As for my opinion of the proposed 'fix', it is aesthetically unpleasing and at least as unbalanced as the PHB half-orc, but you're at most going to annoy someone who wants to play dwarf, I should say.

[Kafana]

Alright, I might have gone a bit over by saying it's broken, but it's definitely the weakest of the core races. What if I reduced the Strength of the Berserker ability to just give him 4 HP at first level (sort of like free toughness, only a bit better)? How would that half-orc stand?

[eggynack]

Clearly broken? I'd agree that half-orcs are slightly unbalanced, but broken means something doesn't work. Half-orcs work just fine. Give them a two-handed weapon each and power attack and they're set.
Either that or a druid... satchel... or maybe nature majig. Half-orcs make sweet druids, is the main idea here.

[Andion Isurand]

HALF-ORCS

+2 Strength, -2 Intelligence, -2 Charisma.
A half-orc's starting Intelligence score is always at least 3. If this adjustment would lower the character's score to 1 or 2, his score is nevertheless 3.
Medium: As Medium creatures, half-orcs have no special bonuses or penalties due to their size.
Half-orc base land speed is 30 feet.
Darkvision: Half-orcs can see in the dark up to 60 feet. Darkvision is black and white only, but it is otherwise like normal sight, and half-orcs can function just fine with no light at all.
4 extra skill points at 1st level and 1 extra skill point at each additional level.
+2 racial bonus on Intimidate checks.
Mixed Heritage: At first level, a half-orc must choose whether he is considered Human or Orc for all effects related to race.
Automatic Languages: Common and Orc. Bonus Languages: Any (other than secret languages, such as Druidic). See the Speak Language skill.
Favored Class: Any. When determining whether a multiclass half-orc takes an experience point penalty, his highest-level class does not count.



I gave them additional skill points, putting their skill point total half way between that of a human and an orc... as well as giving them Any favored class... if you care about using the multiclassing rules.

[HammeredWharf]

The fix is fine. It makes half-orcs the best meatshields, but dwarves still have their great bonus to saves and a bunch of other features. The race is still inferior to humans and races with more unique features (warforged, illumnians), but it's a good choice for a basic melee frontliner.

[hymer]

What if I reduced the Strength of the Berserker ability to just give him 4 HP at first level (sort of like free toughness, only a bit better)? How would that half-orc stand?

Perfectly fine in my opinion. The abilities and bonuses associated with race tend to be rather marginal, so I wouldn't sweat it. As eggynack points out, half-orcs can be tier 1s no problem, and then who cares if they're "definitely the weakest of the core races"?
My main problem, as mentioned, with that fix is purely aesthetic. Why is every half-orc a berserker? Why is it referred to as 'Strength' when hit points are governed by something else? Why use the skill point numbers (4 at level 1, then 1 per level) for hit points?
Others may not care in the slightest about those things.

[eggynack]

As eggynack points out, half-orcs can be tier 1s no problem, and then who cares if they're "definitely the weakest of the core races"?
Not sure if you're taking my meaning correctly there. Half-orcs make sweet druids cause substitution levels are a thing, rather than because anything would make a sweet druid. I mean, most anything would, but that's a different thing. As a bonus, half-orc lets me do that one cool thing where I have a caster with absurd quantities of HP, which is neat.

[hymer]

Not sure if you're taking my meaning correctly there. Half-orcs make sweet druids cause substitution levels are a thing, rather than because anything would make a sweet druid. I mean, most anything would, but that's a different thing. As a bonus, half-orc lets me do that one cool thing where I have a caster with absurd quantities of HP, which is neat.

Then I took your meaning correctly, but I only used the part that's relevant for my conversation with with OP: Half-orcs aren't in dire need of help, and class is more important than race anyway.

[eggynack]

Then I took your meaning correctly, but I only used the part that's relevant for my conversation with with OP: Half-orcs aren't in dire need of help, and class is more important than race anyway.
Ah. Nifty then. Still, I think there are races out there that don't have such awesome uses. As for class being more important than race, that is a true thing, though I've always been a fan of detail oriented optimization.

[hakarb]

I have a player who wants to play the half-orc and even though she doesn't mind I don't want her to play a clearly broken race. I've seen a lot of fixes, and the one that appeals to me the most is http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showthread.php?225027-Half-Orc-Fix-%283-5-PEACH%29

While it doesn't give anything too interesting (like Battle trance, which I saw in another fix) it is straightforward. My only question is, is it balanced? Ideally, I'd want to have this fall somewhere in the middle - lower than dwarf and human, but it's ok if it's higher than the rest.

Here is what I did to get all races more or less in line with one another. http://thegreylands.com/races/

Half-orcs and half-elves are both much better, there isn't really a bad choice any more, just different choices.

[heavyfuel]

A simpler fix IMO, and one that I use in my games is that Half-Orcs don't take the Charisma penalty and have a +2 racial bonus to Intimidate.


HALF-ORCS

Mixed Heritage: At first level, a half-orc must choose whether he is considered Human or Orc for all effects related to race.



I quite dislike Mixed Heritage the way it is. I'd like it a lot more if it were.

"Mixed Heritage: A Half-Orc has the (Orc) subtype. If, however, having the (Human) subtype is beneficial for the character, then he is treated as having the (Human) subtype as well."

This allows for Rangers that picked FE:Orc to beat up half-orcs, but not the ones that picked FE:Human. But if by any chance something can only be done by humans, then the Half-Orc can do it as well.